Jo’s breath fogged in the sharp late-morning air as she stood rigid at the entrance to the depot, the cold seeping through her jacket. As soldiers streamed in precise formation, the massive metal doors groaned against their hinges. Their boots clattered on the steel floor, the sound amplified in the cavernous space. Behind them, armored transports idled, their headlights carving beams into the frost-coated pavement.
Maya crossed her arms tightly, her breath coming in sharp bursts of mist. Beside her, Marcus shifted uncomfortably, his posture tense as another squad of soldiers passed them by. The air was charged, electric with purpose, and Jo could feel the unease rolling off her team.
“Step aside,” barked a security officer, his voice cutting through the mechanical hum of the transports and entering soldiers. “Only Quantum Collective residents are allowed to stay, all others are being relocated to their districts.” Two of the guards approached Marcus who surrendered his weapon. Neither Maya nor Jo carried one.
Jo didn’t flinch. “We’re here under direct Veridian Security orders,” she said firmly, her words carried on a steady exhale. “The runners and depot personnel are under my authority and protection. My command will be acknowledged and my people inside will be treated with respect.”
“That’s irrelevant. You’re—”
“We are Veridian officers,” she interrupted speaking over him. “I outrank you. Deporting medical personnel is a death sentence for hospitalized Quantum Collective citizens, did you know that?”
The soldier paused, glancing toward his squad leader, who was busy directing the next group of men inside. He turned back to Jo. “Papers,” he said flatly, holding out a hand.
Jo pulled out her identification and handed it over, her jaw tightening as the soldier examined it. “Your orders are in line with my mission. As your commanding officer in this facility, I demand to speak to a senior officer.”
The soldier said nothing, but the way he shifted his weight spoke volumes. Jo could feel the unspoken dismissal in his stance—a silent judgment that her authority was meaningless here but it was over his pay grade. Behind her, Marcus exhaled slowly, and Maya muttered something under her breath that the soldier couldn’t quite catch.
"Wait here," the soldier was out of his depth and nodded to the two guards to stay as he sought his leader's intervention. Soldiers continued to march past Jo and Marcus on orders to secure the hospital. Eventually, nearly a hundred soldiers had entered before the leader finally approached Jo.
"You have no authority here, this is a military operation" the officer stated flatly. Then glancing at the papers he'd been given, added, "And since you are not a citizen you will be relocated. I need all three of you to—”
He paused noticing the guards beside Marcus snap to attention. The heavy sound of boots echoed from the depot’s entrance. Cassandra appeared first, stepping through a pool of light cast by the transports’ beams. Her tailored coat caught the breeze, the fabric swaying with each sharp movement. Behind her came Reeves, his presence solid and no less commanding, though his gaze swept the scene with a more whimsical air. Jo could tell these high-profile guests were unsettling the squad leader. Some may have known Cassandra, but it was the director of Veridian Security they saluted. This gave Reeves renewed confidence.
Jo stepped forward in front of the guard in full salute, Maya and Marcus stayed but promptly followed her in a formal salute.
“Well,” Cassandra said, her voice sharp with disdain as her gaze landed on Jo and her team. “It seems we’ve found the source of the holdup.” Her voice carried a practiced chill. Her gaze flicked to the squad leader. “Sargent, why haven't these three been processed? Detain them at once." Cassandra, not wanting any challenge to her authority, added, "They’ve had more than enough time to explain themselves.”
“Excuse me," Jo dismissed Cassandra addressing the security director, "I'm the head of Veridian Security here, and if I may sir, operate under your direct authority not the military or this civilian. It is my responsibility to give senior security personnel assessments outside the purview or authority of the military or civilians, per section f287-5.” Jo said sharply, keeping her tone steady. “This guard has no authority here and I demand an explanation," Jo said, her tone level but edged with steel. “This facility has been converted to handle Quantum Collective citizens with mesh-sickness. Expelling our staff without replacement means deaths will be attributed to Veridian Security without a clear order. These orders are forcing out desperately needed nurses and staff.”
Cassandra raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a thin smile. "Staff? This facility is compromised by insurgents under your direct leadership. The priority is the containment of sabotage, not coddling, even at the expense of civilian discomfort.”
Jo addressed the director ignoring the way Maya stiffened. “That’s another way of issuing a death sentence for Category 3 patients. If this is your solution, sir, we'd be making a big mistake.”
Cassandra’s expression cooled further still addressing Jo, “The solution is securing the Abacus before more lives are lost. But perhaps you’re too distracted by your... humanitarian concerns to see that. After all, don't I deserve full credit for funding these hospitals? Your contributions linger on the edge of full incompetence.”
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Jo’s fist clenched at her side, still holding a formal salute to the director. All the soldiers were still at full attention awaiting the senior officer’s response. The cold blew in from the open doors biting into her skin despite gloves. The weight of Cassandra’s words—sharp and dismissive—settled over her, heavier than the frost.
Reeves cleared his throat, stepping in like a negotiator. “Lieutenant, I appreciate your concern, but the current situation demands immediate action. Ava Patel is inside this facility, and we believe in possession of the Abacus. Its recovery is paramount.”
“You think clearing out a hospital is the best way to secure it?” Jo shot back, her voice steady but sharp. “Do you want to risk people's deaths because of this chaos?"
Cassandra’s lips curved into a sneer. “Risk? I think you’re missing the bigger picture, Lieutenant. While you concern yourself with details, the real threat continues unchecked.”
Reeves stepped forward to Jo dismissing the others, "At ease, and as you were." He brushed past Cassandra who had held the room. “Lieutenant, we’re here for one primary reason,” he said. “The Abacus. We have evidence it was the cause of the TruthGate collapse, and we have evidence that Ava Patel stole it and hiding within this facility. Securing this is paramount, even above those injured by the last devastating explosion that caused these injuries. We must secure it before the next...”
“Reeves, you can’t seriously—” Cassandra began, but he silenced her with a curt wave. Cassandra's expression revealed that she did not like that dismissal at all. The military was following orders perfectly and she could not trust Jo, Maya, or Marcus for this mission. Maya was especially a thorn in her side for personal reasons, but she was unable to get out she was Symmetrist and even more likely, a co-conspirator.
Maya covered a flinch. The abacus he heard about yesterday when Ava asked Charlie to provide an engineering assessment, but she had no idea of its implications. "Jo, my apologies. Ava approached Charlie with something called an Abacus yesterday. I never heard of it but neglected it in my report. My deepest apologies. The implications of this are ...," Maya struggled to complete her sentence lost in thought.
Jo also faltered for a heartbeat, her mind racing. Could this really be true? How had she missed the signs? The TruthGate collapse haunted her. A weapon? Could Kai and Ava—people she’d worked with, and trusted—really be holding onto something capable of such destruction and be directly responsible?
Reeves hesitated, his brow furrowing, but Cassandra was quicker to fill the silence, “Sounds like Veridian Security isn't paying attention at all, Norman.” She directed this at Jo but addressed Reeves directly, and felt its implications squarely.
Maya shifted beside her, her posture tight. “If this thing is so dangerous,” she said trembling with suppressed anger, “why wasn’t everyone informed? Why wasn't Symmetrist warned that we might be dealing with something capable of this?” But all Maya was feeling a deep anger of betrayal. How could Sarah have lured her trust? How could Kai? Despite Cassandra's spite, she suddenly was glad Kai was arrested and had taken Sarah away. She tried to hide how both their treachery and not being told of critical security details impacted her at the moment.
“Perhaps,” Cassandra said smoothly, “because certain individuals were more interested in covering their tracks than preventing disaster.” She stepped closer, squaring off with Jo directly with unsettling intensity. “You’re not as naive as you pretend to be, Lieutenant. You are responsible for your incompetence. You must have wondered about the secrecy of your so-called allies. Your private agendas do not justify dangerous allies.”
Jo swallowed hard. Viktor and Ava’s sudden absences, Ava’s cryptic conversations with Charlie, Sarah's befriending Maya—it all felt too calculated now, like puzzle pieces she’d failed to see. She was blinded by the pain of citizens and her judgment failed her.
She summoned courage, “I don’t have time for these unfounded suspicions,” Jo said finally, her tone measured but firm. She felt her great-grandmother's strength fill her, “If Ava and Viktor have the Abacus, we’ll find it and secure it. It is you who are jeopardizing lives with this chaos and accusatory talk. Had you informed us, we would have secured it before your arrival. Let us do this the right way.”
Reeves gave a slight nod, stepping closer to Jo. “You’re suggesting a targeted approach?”
Jo inclined her head, ignoring Cassandra’s pointed glare. “Yes. They are likely in the engineering lab. It will be less confrontational if we secure it. Not only will they not run or fight us, but we can easily secure them and the device. I wish we had been informed, sir.”
Cassandra scoffed. “Leave this to you? Weren't you trying to protect these people, your sympathies lie with the people we’re trying to stop.”
Jo turned sharply, her voice rising above the clamor of the troops. “You don’t have to trust me, but you can’t afford to make this worse. Viktor and Ava will fight if cornered. Let us handle this.”
Reeves saw the unflinching resolve in Jo’s steady gaze. Years of running teams and leadership gave him complete trust in her team, there was no faking the disgust on their faces.
"Make it so," Reeves said. “Lieutenant, you’ll take point and this squad for backup.” The squad leader was not pleased with his assignment but saluted the director and Jo. Cassandra opened her mouth to argue, but Reeves silenced her with a glance. “The debate is over Cassandra. Jo, we're counting on you."
"Norman deer," Cassandra chastised with insistence. Her tone was condescending and formal, "You may choose to trust them against my advice. But you have forgotten the theft of my museum equipment. We must also secure the parts of their so-called mesh generator, also stolen by Ava Patel. We have solid proof of its presence here. We cannot leave until that is also recovered." Cassandra looked directly at Maya.
"Of course," Norman replied.
Jo also looked at Maya who had been working on the mesh generator for nearly a week. Neither of them realized it was built with stolen equipment. Both held their tongue. Maya's anger was overflowing now. Sarah and Ava took her to that party and stole from a museum and upright citizen. Both somehow suppressed their shock at this latest detail despite Cassandra's stare. Jo and Maya shared feelings of a deep betrayal from people they trusted, shared meals with, and called friends.
"You have my word. We will return with the Abacus and the stolen equipment. We had no idea.”
"Of course not dear, you and Veridian Security would need to be paying attention to what was under your noses," Cassandra did not hide her disdain and it radiated through her words. Norman resisted shrinking but did not appreciate the ridicule in front of him and members of his department.
"Director Reeves, your leave sir?" Jo addressed him directly.
"Make it so," Reeves repeated.